Combined vacuum heating and cleaning system.



J. L. FITTS & J. F. HALE.

COMBINED VACUUM HEATING AND CLEANING SYSTEM.

AFPUCATION FILED APR. x3. m2.

1,162,151 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Wvl'moooeo gmu imwezfmfi M U ED S' TEs PATENT DFFIOE;

JAMES LOGAN FITTS, or MERGHANTVILLE, ANn'Joim 7 TO WARREN wnasrnn & COMPANY, A conronarron or NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOBS JERSEY.

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. COMBINED VACUUM HEATING AND CLEANING SYSTEM.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed April s, 1912. seim No. 690,684.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, JAMES LOGAN Frr'rs, citizen of the United States, and resident of Merchantville, county of Camden and. State of New Jersey, and JOHN F. HALE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of lVoodbury, county of Gloucester, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Combined Vacuum Heating and Clean ing Systems, of which the following is a specification. 1

Our invention has reference to combined vacuum heating and cleaning systems, and consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the followingspecification and shown in the accompanylng drawings which form a part thereof.

In large hotels, apartment houses and ofiice buildings, it is now customary to not only'heat the buildings by the vacuum system of steam heating, but also to employ systems of cleaning involving the use of a vacuum and in this latter case, to install expensive equipment in' the Way of pipes and vacuum creating apparatus.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the heavy expense of the double sets of piping, using one set only for the service of both, and. to eliminate such troubles as are met, even in well designed and installed vacuum cleaning systems, yet not reducing or impairing the efiiciency of the vacuum heating system in accomplishing the work for which it was designed and installed.

As the vacuum required in vacuum steam heating systems approximates four to fifteen inches of mercury and that required for vacuum systems of cleaning, operating at a distance, requires usually from six to fifteen inches of mercury, it is possible, by provid ing proper conditions and means, to utilize the same vacuum creating means and piping for both heating and cleaning, but the utmost care must be provided to prevent dust and fiber from entering the pipes employed for the steam heating, and for maintaining the sealed condition of the return piping of the system when used in winter for both heating and'cleaning.

Our invention consists in the combined .u'm creating means,

' method of heating and cleaning hereinafter passage of air and water but prevent the" passage of steam and with a closed receiver or hot well at the bottom for receiving the water of condensation, and in which receiver a partial vacuum is maintained by a vacusuch as a vacuum pump under control of a vacuum controlled governor, and combining therewith a Vacuum cleaning tool having a. flexible tube connecting with the return pipe through suitable detachable connections, preferably self-sealing, and having a dust receiving and straining device interposed in the said tube between the tool and the detachable connections with the return vacuum pipe. 7

Our invention also consists of details of construction which, together with the features above specified, will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in

vation of an automatic valve for sealing the vacuum return pipe when the nozzle coupling with the cleaning tool is removed.

3 is a steam supply pipe leading from any source of steam, whether exhaust or live steam, as is customary in steam heating systems. Steam is supplied from the supply pipes 3 to the radiators 2 under the control of any suitable valves 4. 5 is a return pipe in which a vacuum is maintained, said return pipe leading downward and connecting by means of a pipe 7 with the hot-well 8, which receives the air and water of condensation and in which a partial vacuum is maintained. The return pipe 5 is connected with thedischarge side of the radiators 2 through any of the usual forms of return valve or traps 6, which are well known and employed in vacuumsteam heating svstems, and operating to permit the passage of water and air from the radiators into the return pipe, but restricting or preventing the passystem of cleaning, which is combined with the heating system. To enable the vacuum pump to operate automatically to maintain a substantiallyconstant vacuum 1n the receiver or hot-well 8", its operatlon is controlled by a vacuum governor 11 of the usual type comprising a diaphragm 12 which operates the steam valve of the engine portion of the pump, the diaphragm being operated by the vacuum produced by the pump, and which vacuum is extended to the governor through the pipe 15, a spring 13 operating against the diaphragm and vacuum of the pump, and an adjusting screw 14 to adjust the spring'whereby a partial vacuum-of any predetermined amount may be insured by the action of the pump. Any suitable vacuum governor may be employed in lieu of that shown.

The water of condensation collected in the receiver or hot-well 8 may be drawn ofi by a boiler feed pump 30 and delivered. to the boiler of elsewhere, as desired.

The return pipe 5 extends through the building to the diflerent floors or to difi'erent portions of the same floor, and at convenient places, it is provided with suitable means for connection with a vacuum cleaning attachment, which latter may be applied to any of these connections throughout the heating system. The vacuum cleaning apparatus which would be used in connection with the heating system would comprise a tubular tapered plug 17 adapted to be received in the socket 27 of the connection 16 on the return pipe, and said tapered plug has attached to it a hose 18 connecting with the lower part 22 of a dust collector vessel 19. This dust collector vessel contains a large felt bag 23,.and above it a removable canvas bag 24 which may be withdrawn by removing the cover 25 from the vessel 19. Opening from the upper part of the vessel 19 above the canvas bag 21 is a second flexible hose or tube 20 which leads to and connects with the tubular handle of a vacuum cleaning tool 21 of ordinary construction. These cleaning tools are well known and comprise a tubular handle portion having at the bottom a perforated surface adapted to be moved over the carpet or other article to be cleaned, and through which perforations the dust is sucked. The dust so withdrawn from the carpet or other article is arrested in the canvas bag 24, while the air which is being exhausted passes, not only through the canvas bag 24 but through the felt bag23, and thence through the hose .18 into the return pipe 5, so long as the con-- nection between 16 and17 is maintained. We do not restrict ourselves in any one of the details of the parts 17 to 21 inclusive, as these may be varied in many ways and will be adapted for use in connection with our invention, solong as there is a flexible connection between the suction tool and the coupling connection 16 on the return pipe, and providedwith means of suitable character for collecting the dust and preventing it passing into the return pipe.

Referring more specifically to the coupling connections between the return pipe and the vacuum cleaning apparatus, said coupling connections may be made in any suitable way-whereby, when the connection is made, the vacuum within the return pipe 5 will extend to the cleaning tool, and when the cleaning tool and its attachments are removed, the said connection may be sealed against the inflow of air. A suitable valve for accomplishing thispurpose is illustrated in Fig. 2. .In this constructiomthe body is connected with the return pipe and is provided with a valve seat and a tapered socket 27. Arranged within the valve body and above the seat is a ball valve 26. A tapered tubular plug 17 attached to the hose 18 is adaptedto tightlyfit the tapered socket 27, and is moreover provided with a projection 28 on its end, which strikes the ball 26 and pushes it off its seat so as to allow the suction from the return pipe to extend through .the tapered tubular plug and to the vacuum cleaning apparatus. WVhenever the plug is removed, the ball returns to its seat and prevents inflow of air. There may be any numher of these nozzle connections 16 arranged over the heating system, so that the vacuum cleaning devices may be applied to the return pipe at various places throughout the building.-

By the employment of our improvements, it will be observed that not only is the piping of a large building, requiring both steam heating and vacuum cleaning, reduced to a .cause in'our improvement special care is provided to prevent any possible entrance tion at all times, and consequently, the system is also in perfect operation not only for heating but for the vacuum cleaning, and moreover, by providing the collector for the dust adjacent to the tool, the vacuum required may be eflectively carried up to the.

said collector and hence close to the tool, so

that an eflicient vacuum cleaning system may be provided-with a minimum amount of vacuum maintained in'the return piping by the vacuum pump. For effective working of any vacuum cleaning system, it isimportant to extend an unaffected vacuum to as near the working tool as possible, and this is accomplished by our improvements Without in any way impairing the efliciency of the heating system, because no dirt is allowed in the return pipes and an excessive vacuum is not required therein for insuring the operation of the cleaning system. The combined heating and cleaning systems are made possible by reason. of the presence of the return 'valves 6, which prevent any passage of steam into the return pipe to impair the vacuum therein but which freely permit the passage of any water and the small amounts of air which pass throughthe return valves from the radiators into the return pipes.

It is also evident, that should any small. particles of dust or lint get into the return pipes from any cause, the constantly flowing water of condensation passing through said pipes will wash the same down and discharge it into the hot-well or through any suitable strainer commonly employed in heating systems, from which it may be removed.

The system is operated under a maintained partial vacuum in the receiver or hot- Well 8, and by reason of the presence of the governor 11, this partial vacuum maybe maintained to compensate for any irregularities which may occur in the quantity of air which may enter the system from time to time. When the vacuum cleaning attachments are removed, then the return pipe is only required to handle a small quantity of air, and the governor instantly responds to slow down the pump while maintaining the normal vacuum in the receiver. If the vacuum cleaning attachment is applied, there is instantly an increase in the air delivered into the return pipe, and this would lower the vacuum in the receiver and render the cleaning apparatus ineflicient if the automatic governor 11 did not instantly respond to speed up the vacuum pump to maintain the predetermined partial vacuum in the valves 26 instantly closethe entrance of air'to the return pipe, so that the efficiency of the system as a heating systemis malni tained. In this manner, the cleaning operatorsmay progress with their work without any regard to the operation of the heating system, and vice versa, and' yet at all timesthere is a common source, of vacuum which responds'to either or'both of the systems as may be required at any moment. In. the summer time when the heating system is not employed, the valves 4 are closed and at that time the return pipe 5 may be employed solely for the vacuum cleaningpurpose.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: 1. In a combined vacuum heating a and cleaning system, the radiators and means for supplying steam thereto,-in combination with a return pipe having at intervals in its length a plurality of normally sealed inlets, valve devices between the return pipe and the radiators for permitting the passage of water and air but restricting the passage of steam and wholly independent of the sealed inlets, vacuum creating devices connecting with the return pipe for maintaining a par.- tial vacuum 1 therein, a portable vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising a flexible hose having at one end a vacuum cleaning tool and at the other end apart for connection with either of the normally sealed inlets on the return pipe for providing vacuum communication between said inlets of the return pipe and the flexible hose, and said hose also having between its ends a suitable dust collecting device to remove the dust vacuum heating and length a plurality of normally sealed inlets,

valve devices between the return pipe and the radiators for permitting the passage of water and airbut restricting the passage of steam, a receiver arranged at the lower end of'the return pipe for receiving the air and Water of condensation, vacuum creating devices connecting with the receiver for maintaining a partial vacuum therein, an automatic governor for controlling the vacuum creating devices for maintaining a predetermined extent of partial vacuum within the receiver irrespective of the variations in quantities of air flowing thereinto, means for removing the Water of condensation from the said receiver without affecting the vacuum therein, a portable vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising a flexible hose having at one end a vacuum cleaning tool and at 5 flexible hose, and said hose also having between its ends a suitable dust collecting device to remove the dust from the air before passing into the return pipe;

In testimony of which invention, we hereunto set our hands.

JAMES LOGAN FITTS. JOHN F. HALE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. SNYDER, F. JOSEPH MILLER. 

